


The Angel's Daughter

by FormlessSnow, mikeyskies



Category: Cobra Starship
Genre: Angel Wings, Babies, Canon Jewish Character, Childbirth, F/M, Forced Pregnancy, Healing, I'm an asshole, Kidnapping, Magic, Magic School, Major Original Character(s), Mostly Just Gabe, Mpreg, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Surgery, Wings, learning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 15:17:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18853687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FormlessSnow/pseuds/FormlessSnow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeyskies/pseuds/mikeyskies
Summary: Hey there readers. I have a thing for you and I know it's tacky to use the summary, but you need to read this.The exchange with Erin was originally going to be with Viviana, but that was changed based on advice from a dear friend and great writer, mikeyskies. She's been dealing with some self confidence issues, and I'd reallly appreciate it if you read some of her stuff. I know she's proudest of Viva La Cobra, so please start there. She's highly underrated. Thank you in advance.- Lily





	1. I Wish I Could Turn Back

Gabe groaned softly, shifting in his chains. He felt awful, which was normal. He hadn’t seen his family in over a year. That was, sadly, expected, even though he wasn’t sure why.

_He’d been taken from his father’s house the third day of Hanukkah. He had been outside, just getting a breath of fresh air, and turned around to see a puff of black smoke appear. He woke up in chains, ones that dug into his skin. The smell of rot and stagnant water was abundant, and his shirt, though helplessly stained with whatever was on the floor now and some grease from a latke he had dropped earlier, was the cleanest thing there. He was left there for what felt like days and he had tried to leave. It was only when he felt like it was pointless that some… Thing, came to his side. It looked like Medusa was described, with snakes for hair and a pair of green wings,and it had stabbed him with a needle, starting the most painful… Was it week? Month? Longer? Most painful experience, of his life._

_His back stretched and ached, getting cramps that kept him up past the point of exhaustion. His abs burned until he felt like fire would help cool it off. When he next saw the thing that had injected him, it cut into his back, and he felt something burst out of him._

Now, he knew they were wings. They’d always been red-tinted or brown, and he couldn’t tell what color they really were. They had burned something into his shoulder, which stayed a brand there, probably forever. Shortly after his wings were out, he was moved to another room, and left with other people. Some of these people, including the men, had distended bellies. Others were trying nurse babies. It was then he realized.

He woke up with his own distended belly out, and he could hear shouting. There was a time that he was fearful of the shouting, but he had stopped needing to what he guessed was months ago, based on his stomach growing slowly and steadily. When they had noticed it, they had stopped forcing themselves on him, as if giving life was the goal they had. They fed him kosher, or at least they claimed it to be kosher, when he asked that of him, but he couldn’t get past the idea they might not be feeding him as requested. Today was something new, however.

There was a man who had favored Gabe before he’d conceived, who had sharp claws and devil’s eyes. Seriously, they were like a snake’s, with black whites and red irises and yellow pupils. He had fangs, too, that dripped multi-colored venoms. Some days, he’d drip pink venom into Gabe’s mouth, and Gabe would feel the warm, seedy afterglow of a good fuck for hours. Others, he would test his venom until it was green and bite one of the healing new mothers, waiting until they stilled and stopped bleeding. They each recovered as best as one could here.

This man, a powerful man, was bursting through, screaming and throwing a ball of fire at something behind him. The girl next to him screamed out, seeing his shadowy wings begin to appear. She was surrounded with flames in a strange pattern Gabe couldn’t recognize. The same pattern circled everyone else that wasn’t the powerful man Gabe had referred to as ‘Sir.’

Gabe heard a sound he hadn’t heard in months- _music._ It sounded familiar, but he was nearly passed out, and he vaguely registered Sir start to bleed out before he passed out.

* * *

Gabe woke up in a strange tent, with a woman beside him humming something strangely familiar, a song Gabe remembered as one of Patrick’s from his solo album. She had the same green venom as Sir dripping from her fangs, but other than that, she appeared to be human. She dropped the venom into a jar as she worked, occasionally brushing it over his wounds with what appeared to be a makeup brush. She was carefully washing him up and taking a dagger to the bindings to remove them.

“¿Quién eres tú?” he mumbled quietly, wincing internally as she looked up at him.

“Alguien que está de tu lado. Ya no tienes que preocuparte por nada de eso.”

Gabe noted the calm, musical tone of her voice, and he relaxed as she continued to wash him softly and brush in the venom. He looked around at the walls of where he was. It appeared to be some type of tent, with woven images of everything from animals to plants to people. There were beaded patterns, and his body was carefully covered in a thin, soft sheet of cotton.

“¿Me vas a lastimar?”

“¿Vas a intentar hacerme daño?” she countered. “No me has dado una razón para lastimarte. Quiero ayudarte.” She smiled at him, standing to retrieve a water bottle for him. “Beber.”

“Gracias,” he told her softly, sipping it and closing his eyes. She let him- he wasn’t in danger under her care, not when she was green.

* * *

When Gabe woke up again, he was still in the strange yet somehow home-like tent. There was a tray of food next to him, covered in a plastic container. There was a note on it, and he reached feebly to pick it up so he could read the carefully written Spanish.

_Translated through a friend who’s better at this language than me- I’m taking lessons, though, and not helpless on my own. I’m the woman who rescued you and treated your wounds. My name is Viviana Chase. I was in a similar boat as you about ten years ago. I’ve spent my life since then recovering and tracking down people who went through that._

_You can eat- I know you’re Jewish because your parents hired me to help find you shortly after you went missing, and that you don’t eat meat. This is kosher and meat-free, but I still advise that you eat slowly. Otherwise your body might have adverse reactions- I know they feed you like shit down there. You’ll be set back on track to recover soon, and there is a staff of people around here to help you adjust and learn more about what happened to you. If you’re interested, you’ll be able to stay on as staff; if not, then you can return back to your family when you’re well enough. For the next few weeks at least, I can’t let you have visitors outside the Academy, out of fear they’ll hurt you or you’ll hurt them on accident. We’ll let you see your family as soon as we can._

_Your father already knows we found you. When you’re able to sit up and move around a little on your own, we can let you call him or Skype with him. I haven’t asked if he’s told anyone else._

Gabe sighed, looking at the food. On one hand, he doubted his parents would have hired her. On the other hand, he bet if she was willing to mention it, and if she had a decent enough track record, at least his father and Erin would try. He picked it up, carefully inspecting it, and couldn’t see any clear regulation breaks. He carefully ate, stopping when his stomach started to protest, and then took the water bottle again.

* * *

When Viviana returned, he tensed softly. “Who are you?”

“You read my note.” She sat down next to him. “I am Viviana Chase.”

“What do you want with me?”

“To get you home. To your family, and away from this mess.”

“You’re lying, you’re like Sir,” he hissed, bringing a hand to his own mouth. She immediately recognized what he meant.

“I am not like him, don’t worry. I have the same powers, yes- I do not have the same entitlement or desires. I truly want you to recover. Like I said, I’ve been through something similar, under the same types of people’s power.” She smiled softly. “I promise. You’ll be okay. I’ll bring clothes soon.”

He nodded softly, biting his lip at her.

She did, in fact, bring him clothes, and she helped him put them on. He sighed, looking down at himself. He had his wings cleaned, but he couldn’t see them because they were bandaged and folded behind him neatly. He looked at Viviana, biting his lip.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” She smiled. “Would you like to call your father?”

“Yes. Please.”

She handed him a cell phone, and then left to give him privacy.

* * *

Gabe moaned loudly, squeezing the kind Zephyr volunteer’s hand as he pushed. Viviana was monitoring his breathing and his energy, pumping some of her own life force into him when he faded.

It took almost twelve hours of active labor to bring the baby into the world, and he cradled her close to his chest when she was born. She was born with claws, her eyes opened in a sickly reverse of how an eye should be structured; black where it should be white, white where it should be black, and her green irises glowed brightly. Despite this, he smiled happily and loved her the moment she was in his arms.

Viviana praised him, carefully dripping the green venom (which he had come to know as sicher heilen, roughly translated to ‘heal-safe’) into his open wounds. It wouldn’t heal him entirely, as she heavily diluted it so that there was little chance of it overworking anybody’s metabolism or immune system. He whimpered, allowing her to do her job.

* * *

Gabe was standing chest-deep in a large pool, wearing a black shirt and a pair of sweatpants. His father was visiting for the first time that day, but they had an unstable Gorgon taking flying lessons, so his sons were not able to show.

Viviana had her wings out, in a more solid form, and she was standing near him. He had been learning for weeks how to care for himself, and now she was teaching him how to move his wings.

“Roll your shoulder forward. Extend your wing as if it’s your arm,” she told him, carefully moving her wing to display. “Keep your hand near your chest.”

Gabe attempted it, and he failed at keeping his hand away from his wing. For his third attempt, however, Viviana was very impressed. “Sorry, Miss Chase…”

“Sorry about what? You moved your wing! It’s not independent yet, but it’s progress.” Viviana beamed, and Gabe was struck by just how human she looked still. “You just need to keep working at it, you’ll get there. Take a break.”

He sighed, taking a few minutes to breathe. As Viviana started to continue the easy movement, walking to help give him tips, the blue-skinned Zephyr (basically a wind demon, Gabe had learned, and this one’s name was Orion) that had let him hold his hand appeared at the pool.

“There’s a visitor at the mirror portal, he says his name’s Diego.”

“Thank you, Orion, bring him in- carefully, don’t break him, he’s human.”

Orion disappeared and reappeared with a dizzy-looking Diego, at poolside, and smiled proudly. He had been signed on the year prior and Viviana wanted to strangle him sometimes over this.

“Airhead,” she teased affectionately, pulling herself out of the pool and turning to offer Gabe a hand. Gabe took it and immediately hugged his father, crying softly. They spoke rapidly in Spanish, pulling back to look each other in the eye.

“Mijo…” Diego looked shocked, eyes widened at the sight of Gabe’s soaked wings. Since he was an Anomaly of the subclass Angel, his wings lightened in the sun. Since he was hispanic, the fluffy white feathers formed a striking contrast that commanded attention, and because of that, the change in him was very obvious. Combine that with the fact that he was drenched and he wasn’t as fit- or even _heavy-_ as when he disappeared, it didn’t surprise him that he needed to stare.

“I’m okay now, Papi. Viviana saved my life.”

“I… I knew she said you were… Different… But I thought she just- You have wings.”

“Observant of you, Doc,” Viv told him. “I told you he was changed now. The place he was spirited away to… They did stuff to people. He’s never going to be the same again.”

Diego hugged his son again tightly, rubbing his back. At that moment, there was a cry let out in the middle of the air. Gabe’s wings shuddered and he pulled away from his father to go to his daughter, carefully picking her up out of the bassinet sitting a few yards from the pool. Viv hummed something soft, causing a small blue flame to appear and wash over the both of them, drying them quickly.

“Shh, shh,” Gabe whispered, bouncing his child gently. He murmured in fervent Spanish to her, watching as she calmed slowly in his arms. He looked up at his dad, biting his lip.

“Who- Who is this?” Diego asked, thinking. _Was Gabe working with her to acquaint himself with people? With caring for children?_

“I… I had a baby, Papi,” Gabe whispered softly. “I had a baby while I was gone.”

Diego realized almost instantly- the pregnant-looking winged man who had first told the blue-skinned one that he was there (he’d use politer terms if he knew them)- and he was instantly horrified at the thought of what must have happened to his son.

“Her name is Diego Isabela Saporta, Papi. After you- there wasn’t a female version for her,” Gabe explained. “Viviana thought maybe ‘Jamie’ would work, because James is the English version of Diego, but...  It didn’t feel right.”

The little girl started to whine, hungry, and Gabe unbuttoned the top of his shirt, sitting down. He carefully held her close, letting her feed. He hummed softly, rubbing her back, smiling happily as she calmed in his arms, and he leaned back on a tree with his eyes closed. His wings moved subconsciously, with one wing wrapped to shield her eyes from the sun and the other simply laying on his arm. The tree wasn’t bare, but they were at the perfect angle that the sun was shining brightly on the two of them.

Viviana smiled, humming softly. She disappeared and then returned with some food for Gabe and Diego. Gabe accepted the food, smiling happily.

“Gracias, Viviana. ¿Hemos terminado la formación para hoy?”

“Pensé que no, antes. Pero creo que deberías pasar el día con tu padre.” She smiled and conjured a table, then set the food on it. “Aquí. Deberías tener esto, en caso de que tengas hambre otra vez. Consigue una Ninfa si me necesitas.”

Waving, Viviana left to tend to the other Academy students. Gabe sighed and smiled at his father.

“You… Want to talk to me about her?”

“Which her, Diego or Viv?”

“Either of them.” It was true- Diego knew very little of Viviana. She was renowned for finding people and returning them alive and mostly well, and she had an ominous air about her, as if she was Death itself. She was apparently a vegan, although she barely registered if anybody was eating meat, and she put most of her money into funding her searches. She also never allowed anyone to touch her back. He’d known nothing else; not of her methods, not of this place he’d been dragged through a mirror into.

“Well, she was born at sundown two months ago,” Gabe started, looking at his daughter. “Viv didn’t think she was healthy and I had to learn how to care for her along with taking care of my wings. I still need help with them, right now, but she’s healthier.”

Diego nodded softly. “Her eyes are…”

“She’s a Fangling,” he explained. “She’s half whatever it is that Viv’s true form is. She has strange eyes at least, powers in a moderate area. She’s not too severe- she’s made it this long. So she’s not as bad as Fanglings can get, health- and care-wise.” He continued speaking about it.

* * *

After his children left the sky island for the third week in a row, Gabe sighed, looking at Viviana. He was feeling ill with anticipation. He carefully held his daughter, eyes wide.

“You’re sure that I’ll recover quickly?” he asked her.

“Of course you will, Gabe. I promise that you’ll be okay.” She smiled, sitting down with him. “Rethinking it again?”

Gabe nodded. “Yeah. Don’t really know whether or not I want to go through…”

“You don’t need to, either way, Gabe. You’re golden in flight, and Anomalies are becoming more common off the islands. You know that.”

“I do. But… Is it really worth having them?”

“That’s not something that’s for me to decide,” she told him carefully. “It’s only my job to make sure you’re informed of the options.”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “Do I really look okay?”

“Of course you do. And you’re healthy, too.”

Gabe sighed. “Have you done it before?”

“Multiple times.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“Some people got infections and needed it to survive. Others… They were in pain constantly, or hurting others. Some just didn’t like them. Some felt out of place.”

“Can you reverse it?”

“Within two months.”

Gabe nodded softly, looking at his baby. “I want to go through with it.”

* * *

Gabe had to be awake for the surgery. Viviana had warned him, and she numbed the pain in his wings and back as she cut in, carefully removing his wings one by one. He cried when he saw the wingtip and looked away from it in shock. Viviana stopped the procedure.

“Did the anesthetic wear off? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” he choked, gulping. “I just… Didn’t expect to see.”

She was sympathetic of it, carefully rubbing his arm until he gave her the go-ahead.

* * *

Gabe wore an old suit as he stepped into his house for the first time. It felt wrong- everything did. The weight he’d subconsciously grown to love. He nearly cried when he saw the scars in the mirror, and Erin had to bring him back to the Academy.

“I can handle the ones from Sir,” he told Viv, wrapping his arms around himself. “I just…”

“You want your wings back,” she repeated quietly. “I can reattach them in half an hour.”

“Please?”

“Of course, Gabe.”

Gabe again had to be awake for the surgery, but he handled himself better. He needed months of intensive physical therapy to get back to the way he’d been before, but he was all the better for it.

All the same, he did not want to reverse the hysterectomy.`


	2. Alien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there readers. I have a thing for you and I know it's tacky to use the summary, but you need to read this.
> 
> The exchange with Erin was originally going to be with Viviana, but that was changed based on advice from a dear friend and great writer, mikeyskies. She's been dealing with some self confidence issues, and I'd reallly appreciate it if you read some of her stuff. I know she's proudest of Viva La Cobra, so please start there. She's highly underrated. Thank you in advance.
> 
> \- Lily

Gabe sighed, waking up for the third time that night. Erin had offered to spend time to help him with Diego, but Gabe had shaken his head.

“ _Caring for Fanglings is different than other little kids,” he told her. “Viv told me how to care for her.”_

Gabe stood up, walking shakily to the nursery. “Hola, chica,” he started softly as he opened the door. He paused as he saw the sight surrounding his baby’s crib.

Erin, who he had assumed was in the bathroom, was sitting with Simon next to Diego’s crib. Simon was carefully feeding his eight-month-old sister a frozen Oreo. She had her eyes wiped of the black tears that Viviana had warned her about, the ones that meant pain and venom in most Fanglings. She was accepting the treat, staring up at Simon. She had just uttered her first word the week before, ‘galleta,’ because that was the word that was often offered when she was in teething pain. Her eyes, glowing brightly in the dark, had swapped colors again, now green-centered on black irises and white whites, and she was gnawing on the cookie with as much force as she could muster.

Gabe flapped a sore wing and stumbled into the room, yawning. “Why are you two here instead of being asleep?” he asked.

“I heard Diego crying and I brought her cookies,” Simon said proudly.

Erin nodded, smiling and kissing him softly on the head. “He did. He’s a good brother.”

“Gracias, mijo. Gracias, mi amor.” He started tiredly reaching for his baby. Erin batted his hand away softly.

“Gabe, no. You’ve barely slept. You should be resting.”

“What about Simon?” he mumbled. “He’s a growing boy.”

“You are a grown man who’s recovering from two consecutive surgeries who hasn’t slept well in almost two years. You can sleep and let your son feed her a cookie on a non-school night.” She sighed. “I’m worried about you.”

“You don’t need to-”

“Yes, I do. I married you, I signed up for caring for our children. And so what if she has magic, she is still my child just as much as Simon is yours. You need to sleep.”

Gabe yawned, and Erin passed off Diego to catch him before he fell. He was still underweight, but he was eating better, especially after they’d weaned Diego. She guided him to the couch and lay him across it, then went back to Diego.

* * *

Diego was seven years old, eating a dubious-colored fruit that had a lumpy physique on the couch while she practiced her ABCs. She was doing this by conjuring fires in the forms of the letters. She smiled happily as she looked up at her parents.

“Mommy? What powers do you have?” she asked.

Erin shook her head softly. “Most of us don’t have magic, darling. I’m not one of the people who have it. Your grandparents don’t have any, or your brothers, and neither do most of your classmates at the JCC. That’s why we told you not to use it beyond your eyes. Very few of us have any, and you’re lucky enough to have some.” She smiled at her gently, sitting next to her.

“Oh… How did I get magic, then?” she asked. “And Viviana and Daddy and Orion and everyone on all of Viv’s islands?”

Erin bit her lip, looking at Gabe, who had stilled at the question. Gabe took a deep breath.

“I, uh… I don’t know how Viviana got her magic. She used to be a Siren, and she got that the same way I got my wings,” he told her softly, sitting down. His smooth wings, freshly preened with help from Erin, wrapped around her, and the faint scars on his wrists from the spiked shackles caught his eye again. He could ignore those sometimes. “She was taken to a place where they put magic inside of her. When we had you, you had magic too.”

“Oh… Okay. Is that how everyone got it?”

“It is. But it doesn’t make you any less special.” His smooth voice and even tone were calming to her as she leaned on him. “You are an amazing little girl, and you always have been.”

Her eyes were the same inverse as normal as she looked up to meet his eyes. “Promise?” she asked, her teardrop pupils narrowing slightly to account for her father’s natural, soft light, the promised ‘halo’ that Viv had explained would appear when he was content.

“I promise, darling.”

* * *

Viviana spun in the air, crashing into the wall. She slid onto the ground and pulled herself back up. Gabe watched her reset her arm and bite herself before going to Diego’s side.

“You’re putting just a tad bit too much force into it. You want to lift me into the air, not throw me,” she counseled. “You should learn a moderation technique.”

“Moderation technique?” Diego asked, biting her lip. Her eyes were glowing brightly as she stared into Viv’s. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re giving it your all. That’s not really that good. It wastes your energy, tires you out, and can hurt the people around you,” she explained. “We need you to only exert enough to get the job done. I understand that’s difficult, but I can offer one.”

The nine-year-old nodded after a moment. “Please?”

Viv nodded. “I use music to help me. I find a connection between that and something I want to do. A good musician for you to try, I think, would be Hozier. Arsonist’s Lullaby would do great for the fire exercises; gentle and soft, but still with enough heat to push back what you need. Movement is fantastic for both wind and water. Observe.”

Viviana put the first song on her phone and conjured unlit candles in a circle around her, sitting down. She breathed slowly in tune with the music, waiting, and as the lyrics and beat rose, the candles began to ignite. She seemed to be in a meditative state, and her wrist tattoo- a serpent wrapping around a throwing knife- was glowing. It was her focus point when she was using magic from beyond music, and her throat was not glowing, though that was the trademark for when she used music as magic. As the song progressed, the flames grew and left the candles, starting to work as a web around her in a very water-like motion. They retained their fury, but not their intense heat, and she easily kept them under control.

The song ended all too soon, and with it, the flames disappeared as well. “You try. Don’t make them do anything fancy, you need to be able to control water to do what I did. But you should try to make the flames grow, and then dissipate.”

Diego nodded, sitting where Viv had, and nodded that she was ready. The song progressed, and she couldn’t call her magic forth. Growing frustrated about halfway through, she imagined them in a huge flame wall around her, and her eyes burst into a white-hot glare as she made it happen. Gabe shrieked in surprise, and Viv rushed forward to extinguish the flame as Diego passed out from the heat.

Once she came to, Diego was met with worried eyes and a gentle touch to her arm. Gabe was carefully fanning the little girl with his wings as Viv carefully cooled her.

“Sorry, aunt Viv…”

“Don’t be sorry, darling. Let’s get you some food, then try again, okay?”

* * *

Before summer was over, Diego had learned multiple techniques from multiple teachers at the Academy. Each of them gave her something that she used. The entire family spent time there learning more about how the young Fangling was coming into here powers, and they had learned that her talents in element control were rare.

“I move with it,” Orion offered, showing her the way he moved his shoulders and wrists when he was stirring up the air. “It’s a dance. You want the air to move left, you move left. Very much like tai chi.”

“Part of fire breathing is that you can’t be scared or angry,” a Dragon named Samuel had warned her. “The same is most likely true with fire control. Don’t fear it, or it’ll come too fast, and don’t get angry, for the same reason. Another thing, don’t do it if you’re in pain- it’s not good for you.”

A Djinni called Dave had given her the best tip on hiding herself when she was around people. “Don’t use magic and hide yourself at the same time, and never if you’re fighting or playing dodgeball. Every ounce of your focus that you can use should be focused on what’s important. You’ll eventually get to a point that you can hide your eyes while doing it, and if you want to really fool them, don’t change your body. Paint your talons or learn to sheathe them, and make a mirage of normal eyes about two millimeters in front of your eyes. It’ll hide the glow much better.” That had gone into her technique immediately and she had benefit the most from it.

“Try to be mindful of your surroundings. It can have a huge impact on whether or not it’s safe. You need to be around a back up plan and far enough from people that they won’t get hurt, and unless they already know about the Anomalies you should avoid showing them the magic.” This had come from a pair of teenagers who were practicing yoga, one of which was a werewolf named Tiffany, the other a Shapeshifter who refused to give a name. Everyone called him Crow because that was his other form and he accepted it.

“It’s easier to work on reshaping a rock that’s made of multiple minerals,” offered a Gorgon lady who everyone called ‘Grey.’ Nobody knew why, because her snakes were coral snakes and her wings were purple. Her real name was Josephine Shae. “So use sedimentary if at all possible. After that you can use metamorphic. Never use igneous, they’re normally pure. Unless you like challenges or you’re making projectiles, in which you find the hardest rocks nearby.”

“Nature won’t conform to you,” warned a Nymph named Daphne. “She’s too temperamental. Guide the plants softly, and start with small tasks and small plants always.”

“Get messy. The water works best in tune with you. Use gravity to fling the first droplets and make the rest of the water follow. Control from there.” This had come from a Mermaid that was hiding behind kelp, in the form of waves digging out specific shapes in the sand. Viv guessed it was probably Zara or Trenton.

A Fairy named Sparks had given the light bending instructions that resonated with her the most. “It’s like braiding hair, have you ever done that? You don’t want to go after the whole thing, only the strands you need. Ultraviolet for damage, infrared for heat, and use colors as wanted. You’re an Elemental, so you’re able to detect them all.”

“You’ve got wings, and you need to remember that.” This was Viviana’s advice, and she was right. “You don’t need to worry about energy when you want them, because it’s the same as stretching your arms when you recognize the other plane. Having your wings out may help with learning how to control.”

Very clumsily speaking, Diego was able to use all of these tips somewhat. Patrick, the flight teacher who had been hired when Diego was about three was teaching her one on one about the dos and don’ts of flight. He was highly skilled himself at flying, a natural, and the only time he had ever crashed was when two Zephyrs got into a fight and caused a tornado around him. He had broken his wing and been unable to teach for a month, even with Viv’s sicher heilen. Though Diego was not nearly as skilled, Patrick was very impressed with her progress.

* * *

Gabe wasn’t there the day that Diego came home from school crying black tears.

It was very rare that a Fangling’s tears were black, but when they were, it normally meant trouble. It meant that she was hurt, and frightened, and that Erin was in danger without sicher heilen if she went to see her daughter. Either way, Diego needed her, so she went to the freezer and pulled out the box of frozen Oreos. (Viv had advised that they keep them on hand while she was training.)

Armed with cookies, she knocked on Diego’s door. It slammed open, shaking the walls and probably entire house, and Diego was curled around her pillow.

Erin carefully put her hand on Diego’s back. “Dia? What’s wrong?”

“Trevor,” she hissed, looking up at Erin. Her eyes were glowing bright enough to hurt to look at, and the tears slid down her face quickly. Her venom was a seething orange.

“Baby,” Erin whispered, offering her the cookies. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

Diego took the freezing cold box of cookies and started eating one. Her twelfth birthday had come up a few months ago, and she had a picture of her at her bat mitzvah hanging above her bed.

“Trevor,” she whispered softly. “He called me a freak because of my eyes and pushed me down the stairs leaving the school.”

“Oh, darling. You aren’t a freak-”

“I am, though, Mom, don’t you see? You know I am.” She looked up at the picture, of herself and her father beaming happily at the camera. Gabe’s wing was poised as if to wrap around her on the way back outside. He was glowing softly, the same glow he got when she or one of her brothers got good grades or were excited for the talent show (she’d cheated a little with her magic, but only to recharge her mic when it was dying). “He called me an alien. I might be. I don’t really look like you anyway, even without the weirdness.”

Erin carefully wiped her tears. “Dia, you know that’s not true. You aren’t a freak and you aren’t an alien. You are a Fangling. You’re perfectly natural.”

“Why don’t I look like you? Why’d he say I was an alien?” she asked softly.

“Sometimes, people don’t look like their parents, baby. There’s no real reason for it.” Her heart shattered, but she knew Gabe and Viviana wanted to be the ones to break the news to her. “You happen to look more like your dad than you do me. And that’s okay.”

She shook her head, curling around herself and crying more. Her wings were out, leathery black on her sides to try to mimic her father’s embrace. Erin pulled her close and hugged her tightly, rubbing her side and kissing her head. Diego sobbed softly for the next half hour, but she relaxed slowly. 

* * *

Gabe sat with his wing wrapped around his daughter, watching her eat her cereal. She leaned on his side, laying her head on his chest. Her still-frail body was shaking as she breathed slowly, warming up. The lights were all off, and Erin had lit some candles around the room. Gabe was releasing his glow that day, incredibly happy to be with his family, and Diego had been practicing for most of the day. She was exhausted to the point that she was unable to look at artificial lighting for fear that it would hurt.

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself that hard,” Gabe told her gently, kissing her on the head. “Viv told you that much, right?”

Diego nodded softly. She had exerted so much energy that she had created a snowstorm on the islands rather than just the light drizzle on one island she’d been asked for. Luckily, there were other Anomalies there to fix it and bring energy back to her. Viviana had brought her home and warned them about the toll it would be taking on her while she recovered.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she whispered.

“You shouldn’t be,” he promised. “You didn’t do anything that you should be sorry for. You’re okay. But we tell you to calm down, we mean it. So that you’re safe and you’re not hurting yourself.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

Gabe’s phone started buzzing as Erin sat down to offer some steamed vegetables, to try to make her eat something warm. Gabe checked it and picked up immediately.

“Hey, I just found a specific type of honey that Fanglings go nuts over,” Viv started. “Fantastic to bring them back to health. I didn’t know my wife brought it home but it’s in my cellar.”

“You have a wife?” he asked, startled by the news.

“Yeah, for sixteen years now, her name is Vicky and she likes honey. Is it relevant? Anyway, turns out she doesn’t mind parting with it if you want me to bring it over, for Diego.”

“Everything’s settled at the Academy?”

“Back on track, but I want to make sure your daughter is too.”

“Um… Yeah, you can-” There was a click, and moments later, Viviana walked into the kitchen carrying a large jar of a thick, golden-yellow liquid. There was the tell-tale smell of burnt herbs that followed her wherever she teleported.

“Hey.” She smiled and held it up for Diego’s inspection. “Teaspoon or two of this, and you’ll be bouncing off the walls in no time.”

“Um…”

“It’s German iceviolet honey,” Viv explained. “It’s made by a species of bee that’s been around for centuries, that’s technically Anomaly fauna. The blue bees that nest on willows and birch near the peach orchard? And they make honey with the nectar from the iceviolet. It’s supposed to be very sweet and fill you with a sense of warmth. I know it helps heal Fanglings.”

“Have you ever tried it?” Diego asked.

“No. I’ve got an allergy to most animal product, so I don’t eat any.” She set it down.

Diego nodded slowly, pulling herself up to go get a teaspoon. Viv cracked open the jar, and Diego took a spoonful. Only a few moments later, she seemed to be one hundred percent better.

“That’s delicious.” She seemed amazed, and Viv just ruffled her hair.

“Ration your supply. It’s not in season right now and this sells quickly.”

* * *

“Fucking bitch,” Trevor hissed, shoving her into the locker. “You’re creepy, you’re worthless, Who the hell can love a chick with a dude’s name?”

Diego rolled her eyes and waved her arm, smashing him into the other side of the room. “Mature human beings who judge character and hate you.”

“Alien!”

“And proud of it!”

* * *

Gabe sighed, looking at his daughter. “You did what?”

“I threw him into a locker and dyed his hair pink.”

“Why?”

“He said I had a boy’s name. I gave him girl’s hair.”

“I’m proud of you, but you’re grounded. What’s his address?”

“I didn’t snoop.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

Diego watched the sun set over the Academy, thinking about her nightmares. The ones she shared with her father, and the ones that had started the day she had been told. She knew she wasn’t being rational; Viv had given her council. Diego had achieved peace of mind again.

Her eyes kept flickering, but she kept them as close to her father’s as ever. She was wearing a black jacket and glaring at the heat. The wind blew easily around her, and she closed her eyes as she lay back. Her magic seethed in anger at her own existence, not because she hated herself, but because she hated Sir. She hated that Sir had made them capture her father and forced him to have her. She had immense power and things began to warm around her, and eventually, she looked at the place where Erin was.

“You sure Dad still loves me?”

“I am sure. He has loved you since before you were born.” She sat next to him.

“Do you know who my father was?”

“Your father is sitting downstairs, with wings, and is worried. I am your mother. The person who he referred to as Sir is simply a sperm donor.”

“I got my powers from him.”

“And you got everything that matters from your dad. He loved you enough to name you after one of the people he cared most about, and he begged Viv to make sure he could keep you when he left the Academy.”

“I don’t want to call myself a Fangling anymore.”

“Then call yourself something else.”

“I’m an alien."


	3. Help Me Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by the talented mikeyskies
> 
> Title taken from Midtown song of same name

Erin hummed as she turned off faucet, cleaning up the sink area from her three sloppy children. She supposed she couldn’t blame the younger two. Simon should have known better, but she wouldn’t hold it against her eldest. If anyone was to blame, it was her for picking white marble countertops. 

She finished tidying up, not to her husbands standard, but enough that he wouldn’t feel the need to scrub it with a toothbrush. She turned off the lights and opened the door, only to clasp a hand over her mouth to keep herself from shrieking. 

“Mama?” The shadowy figure murmured in the green light emitted from its eyes. “Mama, I’m scared.”

Erin calmed her racing heart and turned the light on in the room behind her, illuminating the figure of the four year old. She got down on one knee to cup her daughters chin in her palm. “What’s wrong, Dia? Are you okay?”

Diego shook her head. “I’m scared, mommy.”

Erin sighed, scooping her child up and balancing her on her hip. “What’s scaring you, sweetie?” She gently held her daughters hand for support. The sharp claw-like nails dug into her palm, but they were dulled from daily activities and the little girl was no where near strong enough. 

“I had a bad dream.” Diego mumbled. 

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

She thought for a moment, then shook her head, eyes inverting, then reverting back to their mirrored state, eyes glowing brighter with fear. The little girl was scared of what she had seen, Erin knew, and her heart shattered for her daughter. She rubbed her back softly. 

“Do you want to tell papi?”

Diego thought again, and then shook her head again. 

Erin sighed, leaning in to kiss her forehead, pushing back the soft, dark curls. “What do you want to have happen, angel?”

“Can I sleep with you and papi tonight?” 

“I don’t see why not- as long as you tell us if you have a bad dream again.”

“What if I don’t wanna?”

Erin bit her lip, wiping the silky tears off her daughters face.  “Then we can call aunt Viv and you can tell her?”

“Really?”

She nodded, and was met with the grin of her step child. “Now let’s get you to bed, okay princess?”

“Okay mommy.” Diego rested her head on Erin’s shoulder, and closed her illuminating eyes, darkening the hallway. Not that Erin cared, as the four year old was already asleep when she made it back to the bedroom. She smiled softly, walking in on Gabe reading a copy of National Geographic, bathed in the light of the lamp on the bedside table. 

He looked up at her, heart melting as he saw his daughter. “Is she okay?”

Erin nodded. “Just a nightmare. She’ll survive. She wanted to sleep here though.”

Gabe nodded, putting the magazine away and taking their child from his wife, letting his girls get settled under the covers. 

Erin looked up at her husband of eleven years, and he grinned back. Since the change, she noticed smaller things through the years. His dark eyes now had glittering effects of gold, his soft freckles dotted his skin in a way not uncommon to stars, and the world felt more peaceful around him- in a sense, she fell in love again every time she set eyes on the literal angel that was her husband. 

He leaned in for a kiss, and she met him half way, wrapping their arms around each other with their daughter pressed between them, sleeping soundly. Gabe grinned, leaning in to kiss her one last time for the night, turning off the lamp behind them, and pulling up the covers. “I love you, Erin,” He cooed softly. 

“I love you too, Gabe,” she grinned, as he wrapped a white, downy wing around his girls, a sense of peace lulling them to sleep. 

————

Gabe’s eyes fluttered awake, as sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating his wings white. He turned to look in the sun and blinked softly, before turning his head to look at the small child clutching on to his shirt. The shirt was a soft cotton, one of his favorites from college. Erin had done her miracles with a needle in the back, so that the comfy fabric fit loose around his wings and resisted chafing. He gently detached his daughters tiny claws from the fabric, stroking her cheek with a wing tip. Her soft olive skin glowed golden in the morning light, and with her eyes slammed shut, and dark curls framing her face, she almost could be mistaken for human. He reached down with his hand and stroked her cheek again, this time running over the dried tear stains. He looked over at the vacant pillow besides him, picking up a small note written in loopy scrawl. 

‘Taking the boys to school. Going out for coffee with Kimberly afterwards. Love you -E’

He grinned softly, setting the note back down and allowing himself a deep breath. Erin well deserved the break, and he knew she’d be gone all day. He debated getting up to go in to the office and take her with him, but he didn’t have much work today and he rarely took sick days. He grabbed his phone, sending a quick text to Carden, and a short text of “Good morning, Love u” to his wife, before returning to his child. 

She was gently stirring awake, and Gabe, always anxious, made sure she didn’t scratch herself too badly. She blinked her tight eyes, emitting a soft green light, her pale pupils still shocking from fear. Gabe felt his heart ache as she looked around, panicked. 

“Mija? Mija, what’s wrong?” He sheltered her tiny body from the rest of the world, tenting his wing over the four year old. 

“Papi?” She blinked up at him, nervous. 

“Oh, choula, I’m right here,” Gabe pulled her close to his chest again with his arms burying his face in her fluffy curls. “Is something wrong?”

She nodded softly, digging her nails into her father’s old shirt. “I had a bad dream.”

He nodded, rubbing her back. “Like the one you told mommy about last night?”

She nodded. 

“Can you tell me about it?”

Diego hid her face in his chest, shaking her head. He sighed. “Why not, mija?”

“Cause it’s too scary.” Gabe winced. 

“I promise it’s not too scary, honey.”

She sniffled. “You got hurt. In my dream. He hurt you.”

Gabe felt his breath catch. “Who hurt me, baby?”

“The evil man. You were in chains. And you looked like mommy did in the pictures where she was having us. And he put pink stuff in your mouth and you slumped over and got sleepy and you looked scared and I wanted to help but I couldn’t move, and your wings were all broken like and you looked so sick papa. It was so scary-“ she broke down in sobs, tears already streaking her face. 

Gabe’s heart shattered into a million pieces as he pulled his child close. This couldn’t be happening, she couldn’t possibly have seen- “What did the evil man look like?”

“He looked bad. His eyes were yellow where mine are white and yours are black, and red where mine are green and mommy’s are blue. He had sharp teeth like Auntie Viv, but he wasn’t nice like Auntie Viv.”

He sighed shakily, closing his eyes as he rubbed her back. “I know honey, I know. He’s very, very scary. But he won’t hurt you. He’ll never, ever hurt you. You can thank your Auntie Viv for that.”

She looked up at him. “Do you know him?”

He sighed. “He was a very bad man. Auntie Viv made it so I could be healthy again and mommy and I would be able to keep you safe from evil people like him once you were born.”

She bit her lip. “Papa? Did that happen?”

“I had a very bad dream a few nights ago where that exact thing happened-“

“But did it happen?” She looked terrified. Gabe couldn’t help but say nothing. The worst part was yes, it did happen, and it happened often. For at least five months, the events were a daily occurrence, sitting in the dark with a growing bump and no hope for the future, only praying that the baby wouldn’t be a monster like the Creature next to him, or even worse, dead like the one on his other side. He averted his eyes from the deep scars in his wrists as he cradled her close. 

“No. It was just an awful dream, sweetheart. He was a man I knew, but your auntie Viv made it so I never had to see him again. And you will never have to meet him either.”

She relaxed a little, and so did he, her comfort justifying the lie. “Papa, I love you.”

“Oh, mija, I love you too.” He pulled her close, shrouding her with his wing. 

“Papi?”

“Sí?”

“Why do I have eyes that are different than yours?”

“That’s because your eyes came with the type of magic you have. And you have magic because I have magic.”

“Why do we?”

He sighed. “Magic is a gift from God. He gave it to me right before we had you, and then I gave it to you by being your father, okay? There’s no why. God just decided to. If mommy and I had anymore babies, they would be magic too.”

“Will you?”

He shook his head. “No, we don’t think so.” It didn’t happen to everyone, but the flooding of hormones during his pregnancy practically rendered his male reproductive tract useless. He could try a hormone therapy, but Erin was fine with three for now, and he could revisit it later if needed. “We’re happy with the three angels we have.” He leaned in and kissed her nose, and she giggled. 

“I’m not the angel! You’re the angel!” She bounced up and down softly, and Gabe beamed, keeping a calming air over the small child. 

“You three will always be my angels.”

“What about Tulipan?”

Gabe laughed- of course she was concerned about the dog. “He’s our angel too.”

She giggled softly, before sobering up for a second. “Papa?”

“Yeah, mija?”

“Why doesn’t mama have any magic?”

“Mama does have magic. Just a different kind of magic from you and I.”

Diego looked confused, but Gabe just grinned. “Your Mama has the greatest eyes in the world. She can see so much potential in an empty room or a piece of cloth. She can work miracles with her drawings, she’ll pour her soul into her work, in a way that I could only describe as magic. She works with such a passion, she says it’s cause she’s a Virgo, but I know it’s because of her magic. She’s the most spectacularly beautiful woman in the world, and her radiance shines through you and your brothers.”

“Not me.”

“Yes, of course you,” he tilted her chin up at him. 

“But everyone says I don’t look anything like her.”

“There’s more than one type of beautiful, baby. Your mother is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. You get your inside beauty from her.” He leaned in and kissed her nose, glowing a soft gold. “God gave her the greatest magic of all. To see the beauty in everything, and create beauty in everything she ever loved. The best part is that this magic doesn’t come from genetics at all. It comes from love. Your mommy loves you so much. And you are so beautiful. Just like her.”

She beamed, curling up in her father’s soft light. “ I like looking like you. Simon looks like you too. But mommy is so pretty. And I want to be like her too.”

He smiled. “You remind me of her. I love you both so much.”

“I love you too, Papa!” She beamed as she rested her head on her papas chest. Gabe held her close until she drifted off, no nightmares in sight.


	4. Lace and Paper Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place right after Alien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am Jewish so some of this comes from my own experience being both Jewish and adopted. Trigger warning: confidence issues, holocaust imagery, self hatred. take care babes :)  
> -Eddie(aka mikeyskies)

It was already dark when Diego returned home. She hadn’t talked to any of her family in days. Not since they told her the truth. She fluttered her wings, letting them fade as she landed on the windowsill, and slipped in through the window she had left unlocked for herself. The door was locked from the inside, but someone, probably her brother, had slid a couple granola bars under the slit in the door. She smiled softly, leaning down to pick one up. 

“You’re welcome by the way,” a voice rang out in the dark room.  

Diego froze, heart pounding, as she shifted into flight or fight mode. A chuckled rang out, before the bedside lamp was flicked on, and the shadowy figure was tackled with a hug. “Simon!”

Her older brother smiled, rubbing her back softly. “What’s up, kid? Hey, I’ve missed you.”

She beamed up at him, sitting back on her bed, bouncing her leg. “I’ve missed you too, Simon. I thought you weren’t coming home until Friday.”

“My last final was Saturday. No need to stay until the end of the semester if I’m just going to be hanging with friends.” He shrugged, ruffling her hair. “There’s other people I’d rather spend time with.”

She snorted. “That’s totally not true.”

“Maybe not. But there’s other people who need my company right now a lot more than my friends do.” He looked over at his sister. She rolled her eyes. 

“I’m fine Simon. Look, I know it sounds bad-“

“You’re isolating yourself, Di.”

“According to who? Your parents?”

“ _Our_ parents.”

“Not Mine.” 

He sighed. “Is this what this is all about? Come on, Dia.”

“Simon, they lied to me. My whole life I…I mean, I don’t know what i thought. But I…I…”

“Diego, they’re still your parents-“

“My father is a monster, Simon.” Diego snapped, and a sickly light glowed from her eyes. An inexperienced person would recognize it as rage, but Simon knew exactly what the light meant: fear. 

“Diego, he’s not your father-“

“You don’t get to tell me who is, or isn’t my father, Simon!” She snapped. 

Simon bit his lip. “Dia, I’m scared for you.” He spoke quietly. “I know it’s taking a lot on you. But you need to talk to someone-“

“Or what, you’re scared I’m going to hurt you?”

“I’m scared you’re going to hurt yourself!” He spat back. “Dia, just tell me what’s bugging you.”

“A lot is bugging me, Simon.”

He nodded. “I know.”

She looked up at him, tears pooling in her eyes. “How long have you known?”

“Known what?”

“That Erin wasn’t my mom? That Dad gave birth to me? That some _creature_ was my father?”

Simon sighed. “Dad was gone for almost a year when I was 4. But he shows up 11 months later at this place, and I’m introduced to you as my baby sister. You look a lot like dad, and mom said you looked like I did as a baby, so I accepted it. I sort of realized something was off in health class when I first kind of realized that it takes two people to have a baby, and Dad wasn’t there and mom wasn’t pregnant when you were born. But I asked mom, and she said that you were born a special way, because you and Dad both had magic.” He looked at her. “So I asked her how that worked, and she told me that sometimes a guys can have babies just like girls if someone does bad things to them, and that dad had you that way. But it didn’t mean you weren’t my sister, or that they weren't your parents. Dad…” he took a deep breath, wiping the tears from his own cheeks. “I was maybe your age. Dad told me about consent. And to be careful when I was out at night, or out alone. And he explained, without a lot of detail, how you were born. And what happened to him.” He shuddered.

“So you knew?” She sounded so hurt. 

“Dad made me promise not to tell.”

“But you knew?” She sniffled. He nodded somberly. 

“I need you to know I still love you, Dia.”

“I love you too, Simon…” she shuddered softly. “Why did you keep it from me?”

“You were 11 at the time. You were prepping for your bat mitzvah. Dad was excited. I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“But-“

“You were a kid, Diego.”

She sniffled. “I just…I feel like I’ve been lied to. And I have, Simon, my family isn’t my family anymore.”

“Yes, we-“

“I’m not like, you Simon,” she sniffled. “I’m a freak.”

“Diego-“

“Simon, your parents had you cause they love each other.”

“Our parents raised us because they loved each other. And they love us.”

She shook his head. “My father was a…my father…” she shook with sobs, sniffling a little. Simon reached over and rubbed her back. 

“It’s okay. I know he hurt us.”

“He… Hes my father. My father did this-“

“He can just be a sperm donor. He’s a fucking a monster, not your father-“

“Don’t fucking say that!” She raged. “Erin said that too! Don’t fucking think like that-“

“Why not, Dia?” He snapped back. 

She sniffled. “Simon…remember in history class? When…when they’d talk about the Mengle experiments and the sick twisted things they did with…they did with people like us?”

Simon paled. “A little bit…Dia? Diego, where is this going?”

She curled in on herself, shaking with sobs. “Simon? You remember how…how they used to knock up jewish women? And then halfway through the pregnancy tell them that they used animal sperm? And that they were carrying monsters?” Her voice was so shaky he couldn’t hear every word, but he understood the sentiment. 

“Diego, no-“

“Simon, I…I’m the monster baby,” she shook softly. “I’m the fucking monster…” she broke down in tears as he took her onto his lap.

He didn’t know what to do, so he just held her, tears flooding his own eyes now. “Dad would never, ever think of you as a monster, Diego. You’re his baby-“

“That he was raped to carry, they made his worst nightmares come true as he had me. He still has the scars from where he was shackled. Don’t fucking tell me I’m not a monster.”

Simon went silent.

She continued her rampage, fire burning in his eyes. “I’m at least half monster, Simon. You said it yourself. He’s a monster. A monster made me.”

“Diego-“

“You’re a fucking human, Simon. The most supernatural thing about you is that _your_ father is an angel. An _angel_ , for fucks sake. The messenger of God, the divine presence, the most beautiful thing mentioned in the Torah. And what am I? An amalgamation of every monster stereotyped up to belittle our people? I’m half devil, Simon. I’m a disgrace. You know about how in _A Beautiful Mind_ they overlooked Nash’s homosexuality so that no one associated schizophrenia with being gay? Simon, look at me?”

“What am I supposed to be seeing? What point do you want to make about bringing up some shitty movie that dad made us watch-“

“I’m a monster, Simon. I feel disgraced to call myself Jewish.” She spat, fangs seething oily black venom. “I’m exactly what they think, when they use the triple parentheses and they write the conspiracies, and the demons on the propaganda posters. I’m what everyone tries to say we’re not. I’m the goblin, I’m the Hoggle, I’m the witch, I’m the devil himself. I’m everything they say we’re supposed to be. For fucks sake, dude, I have claws. My eyes _glow_. I’m a fucking _witch_ , Simon. I’m the actuality of the monster they created to excuse the murder of our ancestors. I’m exactly who they wanted me to be.”

“Diego, I… you…you don’t actually think of yourself that way, do you?”

She stood up to look at the window. “No. I just bullshit it for laughs. What the fuck do you think? Of course, I do.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Well, why wouldn’t I? My entire life I’ve had to deal with this, ever since dad explained the Holocaust to me, ever since I learned the history of witches, ever since I watched a fucking movie with my friends. We’ve been trained our whole lives to scrutinize for antisemitism. You know that just as well as I do. I just looked for it in myself. I’m disgusting, Simon. I’m a fucking monster. Even dad knows it. He didn’t want me, Simon. He was forced to have me. If he miscarried, intentionally or otherwise, he died. No one wanted me, except the bastard that was my father.”

“I wanted you.”

She glared up at him. “You shouldn’t.”

“I wanted a little sister. I remember when mom was pregnant, she wanted it to be a girl too. I mean, she still loves him, more than me, probably, even though he’s a shit sometimes.”

Diego laughed, as nothing brings siblings closer than shitting on their other sibling. Despite this, it was a bark of a laugh, and it sounded more hurt than humorous.

He grinned. “But I remember praying with Abuelo every Shabbat to bring daddy home. And then daddy came home, with fluffy wings and a baby sister. And I was ecstatic. So was mom. I swear to god, she was planning your bat mitzvah dress since the day she first held you. She’s definitely got your wedding dress planned out already.”

“Who’s going to break it to her that I want to wear a tux?” She joked weakly. Simon laughed. 

“I think she’d be more mad at that than she is for you running away for three days.” He chuckled, and Diego sighed.

“Simon?”

He looked over at her as she walked back to the bed. “Yeah Di?”

“Do you want kids when you’re older?”

He shrugged. “I mean, sort of. I loved being around you guys when you were babies. I think I’d be a good dad.”

“You’d be a great dad.” She sighed, looking around at the photos of her family tacked around the room.

“You’d be a great mom too.” He smiled. She blushed.

“You’re not serious.”

“I am, Diego. You’re so kind and compassionate. You take so much pride in culture and history, and I can see you finding so much joy to the next generation. Getting to share what makes you, you with your family. Why? Are you pregnant or something?”

She shook her head. “I.. I think I’ll have to fill those shoes through the Aunt role.” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I… I can’t have kids, Simon.”

“What do you-“

“I’m completely sterile. There’s no way for me to have kids, not myself anyway.” She curled in on herself a little. “It… it’s so selfish. But I want some posterity. I want to have a kid with curly hair and freckles and teach them Spanish and tell them about golems and why we have fried food for Chanukah, or where we come from. I just… I don’t think I knew how much I wanted kids until I knew it was impossible.” The tears streaming down her cheek dripped onto her shirt, staining the fabric black.

“It’s not impossible, Dia. You can adopt. Mom adopted you. She loves you just as much as she loves her own kids. Hell, everyone knows you’re like, her second favorite. I’m in dead last, thanks to you.”

She chuckled, but still hid. “I know I just… I hate it. I hate having my dreams crushed because I’m a freak.” She broke down again. He sighed, tapping her shoulder, trying to get her to face him. When she turned, her venom was trailing down her chin. “Don’t touch me. I’m a monster. It’s all cause I’m a monster.”

He sighed. “That’s why I came prepared. I got you something."

She rolled her eyes. “What?” He reached in his bag and pulled out a package of double stuffed Oreos. She groaned. “Really?" 

“They made you feel better as a baby. I thought they’d make you feel better now. Besides, your blood sugars probably low.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but opened up the package nonetheless. They both sat there in silence, eating cookies and cuddling close as Diego would allow. 

“Simon?” She finally broke the silence. “What’s going to happen to our family?”

“Nothing, not if you don’t want it to. I know this is hard. I know your dad isn’t who you thought, and your mom isn’t your mom, but hey. You know what matters? You’re still my baby sister, half-sister or not.”

“I’m half not your sister too.”

He bit his lip and tried not to wince at the sharp-as-knives tone in her voice, or the way it shattered him, “I think you keep forgetting the half that really does matter, Diego.”

She sighed. “What?”

“The side that loves you. For the person you are, not the person who everyone assumes you to be. The only damn person I know who can conjure fire at her fingertips, yet still decides to light the shabbat candles with a match. Because I know how much everything means to you, Dia, even the little shit like that. That’s what makes you my baby sister. And that matters more than blood ever will.”

She nodded, sniffling softly. “I know. It’s just…”

“I know. I’m never going to understand being half devil. It’s not anything I have a say in. But I know what it’s like to be your brother. And I know blood is important to you, even if it shouldn’t be. And you always forget. You’re more angel than I am.”

He watched her wipe her eyes, spearing the mess of tears and venom on the sheets of her bed. He’d wash them tomorrow with his other laundry from college. He continued

“As far as blood goes, you’re just as much angel as you are devil. And beyond blood, even more. You’ve always been close to dad. It’s in your nature. He’s your father, and your mother, if you need him to be both, or either, or neither. He loves you.”

She nodded, biting her lip. “I… I just-“

“Our dad is an angel, Diego. Maybe I’m not magical. Maybe we’re only half siblings. But we’re both Gabe Saporta’s kids.” He chuckled softly. “We’re both kids of an angel.”

She wiped her tears and nodded. “Yeah. We are.”

“You can’t change the fact that your ‘father’ was who he was. No more than I can change who I am, or who you are. But in the same vein, you will always be my sister. And you will always be his daughter.”

She sniffled. “I know. I’m the angel’s daughter."


End file.
